29/05/2026
In beloved memory, and with hope this Melanoma May 🧡
Some of you have been reading this newsletter for many years now, perhaps close to ten since I first began writing it. Over that time, so many of you have supported local businesses we’ve featured and sent kind messages along the way. This week, though, I’m taking the liberty of asking for your support with something deeply personal.
Three years ago, I lost my husband Bill to melanoma. His diagnosis came suddenly and devastatingly, and despite swift treatment, we lost him just eight weeks later. Many of you will remember Bill through his involvement in our local community, from St Barbe Museum + Art Gallery and Priestlands School to Lymington Tennis Club.
This summer, our elder son, Olly is taking on an extraordinary challenge in his dad’s memory; cycling solo from Trieste to Nice across the Arc of the Alps. That’s 1,900 kilometres and 35,000 metres of climbing in just 8 days, all to raise funds for Melanoma Focus, a charity supporting research, awareness, patients and families affected by melanoma.
After the record-breaking May sunshine we’ve just enjoyed, it feels especially important to share this message. Melanoma is one of the UK’s fastest-rising cancers, yet many cases are preventable with greater awareness and protection from sun damage earlier in life.
If you would like to support Olly’s challenge and help raise awareness, you can donate here: https://vist.ly/55v3h
Thank you so much from our family if you choose to support him.
If you’re looking for more ways to make the most of the season, our Weekly What’s On guide has you covered with local happenings, fun days out, and community events galore.
👉 https://vist.ly/55v3i
